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Planning Ahead for the Holidays

Oct 28th 2011

It’s hard to believe that November is just around the corner. And it may still seem a bit early to plan for Christmas or Hanukkah, but the key to not going over-budget through the holidays is to plan ahead. Here are some simple steps to help.

1) Make a list of the people for whom you need or want to buy a gift.

2) Make a list of gift ideas for each person, including the dollar amount you plan to spend on them.

3) Start researching prices on these items. Perhaps you don’t intend to shop yet, but by knowing the prices now, you can determine if the sales are really a good deal or not.

4) If necessary, consider placing items on layaway, or buying a couple of items with each paycheck to lessen the impact on finance.

I realize many of you like to wait until Black Friday to get the great deals, but knowing the prices of items on your list ahead of time will help and can save you time, money, and aggravation! You might find better deals online and many online retailers offer free shipping.

Also, consider opening a Christmas Club bank account. Many banks offer these savings accounts where you can put in small amounts all year long and then they send you a check near the holidays. It’s a great way to plan ahead so finances don’t become problem during the holidays. The two online banks that come to mind are INGDirect and SmartyPig. I’ve personally used ING for years. Both are free, no minimum balances and are FDIC Insured.

The holidays are supposed to be a joyful time. Don’t ruin the joy by overspending!

Now on to some other good stuff:

All You Magazine November 2011 Coupon List – Simply CVS has been kind enough to provide a list of coupons that will be in Walmart’s All You Magazine for November. You can check it out here to see if you want to stop by and pick up a copy. I believe it retails for $2.49 per issue if you buy it at Walmart, but you can get a subscription for $1.66 per issue here. However, I will tell you that sometimes the subscription version has fewer coupons than the newsstand version.

Walmart Deals – If you’re a Walmart shopper, I highly recommend checking out Iheartthemart.comfor the best deals.

I’m excited to tell you that my book is now available as an e-book! So, you can save money while you learn to save even more money by purchasing an e-book instead of a traditionally bound book! For more information, please click here.